Flip or Flop

One of my favorite channels on television is HGTV (Home and Garden Television). I absolutely enjoy one of their more popular shows, Flip or Flop. Flip or Flop is a home improvement show that stars real estate agents Tarek El Moussa and Christina El Moussa.

Flip or Flop follows Tarek and Christina while they locate a potential fixer upper home. After they purchase the home, they make improvements and remodel the house in an effort to resell it at a higher profit. (This is the “flip”). The team typically buys homes that are short sale or foreclosures. Renovations take a long time and the couple can’t make money while the house is being worked on. For that reason, they try to stick to a strict timeline of when everything will be finished.

The renovated homes can primarily be found in Orange County, California. The show is filmed in a way to make the audience wonder if the couple will be able to recoup the money that they spend and invest on the distressed houses. (The potential “flop”). Usually the couple pays cash and then spends tens of thousands of dollars to upgrade the home. At the end of the show, the couple holds an open house for potential buyers to come through and see. The transformation is almost always dramatic. Often times the visitors will provide their feedback about the house, how it looks, and the new features, on air.

When the show is over, the audience is generally provided an update on if the house sold, how soon it sold, and what the profit was. This show works because of the on-air chemistry that the real-life married couple have. Also the couple likes to interact with their children during the show so it gives the show a more personal touch.

The homes are generally staged so it’s great way to get ideas about potential renovations or design choices for your own home. There have been quite a few spin offs to Flip or Flop including Flip or Flop: Follow Up and Flip or Flop: Selling Summer.

You can catch Flip or Flop on HGTV. You can also catch up starting with Season 1 at Amazon.com.